Cuomo Says Obama Trip May Be Postponed Because of Hurricane Sandy

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday in Rochester that he is preparing to travel to Florida to campaign for President Barack Obama, but said if the weather gets too bad he won’t make the trip.

Cuomo was expected to travel on Saturday to attend several events in Florida to help the president in the critical swing state.

Cuomo said the state wants to be prepared, but not over-prepared, should the remnants of Hurricane Sandy strike New York.

“These past couple of days we’ve worked intensively, waiting for the latest, up-to-date weather information. We’re not taking it lightly, we’re leaving no stone unturned, but we also don’t want to overreact,” Cuomo said in Rochester during a campaign stop for congressional candidates, according to the Democrat and Chronicle.

For the 50 million people who live in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast — roughly one-sixth of the U.S. population – Hurricane Sandy’s winds, rains and potential snow could ruin trick-or-treating plans next week, or worse.

It could hit New York on Sunday or into early next week.

Late Friday morning, the center of Sandy was located about 25 miles north-northeast of Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas, 460 miles south-southeast of Charleston, S.C. It remained a Category 1 hurricane, with a sustained wind speed of 80 mph.

“We are now 90 percent certain the storm will make landfall in the U.S.,” said Louis Uccellini, director of NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Prediction.